Investigation finds IHOPKC founder committed sex abuse, misconduct

A report from Firefly Independent Sexual Abuse Investigations released Monday found that International House of Prayer-Kansas City founder Mike Bickle engaged in misconduct over several decades. Investigators found that Bickle committed sexual abuse, clergy abuse, and spiritual abuse against 17 women and girls beginning in the 1970s. Firefly's investigation was led by Jim Holler, a former Pennsylvania police chief. It included more than 200 interviews, as well as analysis of email exchanges to support its findings. In the report, Firefly also found that some members of IHOPKC’s executive board and leadership team attempted to suppress the allegations, rather than support the victims who were coming forward. Investigators said current board members did not respond to their request for comment on the ministry’s proactive measures to protect attendees and staff.

The report named multiple women who claim Bickle groomed and abused them, including Deborah Perkins, whose allegations became public in 2023 and sparked the investigations. Perkins’ name had initially been kept secret but she revealed her identity on The Roys Report earlier this week before she was slated to appear at the Restore Conference in Arizona. She said that from 1996 to 1999, Bickle used his authority as a spiritual leader to groom, manipulate, and sexually abuse her beginning when she was 19 years old and he was 42. Tammy Woods and Terry Hartley say he used the same techniques to abuse them, according to the report.

Tikkun Global, a Messianic Jewish organization, commissioned Firefly to investigate Bickle. The organization said a pastoral recommendation team would study the report and make recommendations to IHOPKC. Neither Tikkun nor the Firefly team are affiliated with the prayer house.

How has IHOPKC responded? The ministry did not immediately respond to WORLD’s request for comment and has not published a response to the report. A third-party investigation commissioned by the ministry found that Bickle had engaged in inappropriate behavior with two women more than 20 years ago. In the report published last January, Rosalee McNamara of the Lathrop Group found Bickle most likely abused his power. IHOPKC Spokesman Eric Volz last year said the ministry had opened a line of communication with a group that advocates for abuse victims and was made up of former IHOPKC leaders, to evaluate the situation. McNamara’s report also found that several women who were named as possible victims denied any alleged abuse. The original alleged victim declined to participate in the investigation because she doubted McNamara would be impartial, according to a story by The Roys Report, citing her lawyer, Boz Tchividjian.

Bickle did not participate in an interview with McNamara but responded to her questions in writing, according to the report. He admitted to inappropriate contact on multiple occasions with two women in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bickle helped found the 24/7 house of prayer in 1999. He has not responded to the Firefly report and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WORLD.

What is the timeline of the allegations? The controversy surrounding Bickle began in 2023 and has prompted several key figures to resign from IHOPKC and resulted in multiple investigations.

• A group of former IHOPKC leaders on Oct. 28, 2023 released a statement accusing Bickle of clergy sexual abuse spanning several decades, according to reporting by The Roys Report. The individuals shared their allegations with the IHOPKC leadership team several days before they released their claims publicly. They said they tried to meet with Bickle first in accordance with the command in Matthew 18:15-17 to first discuss his sins privately, but were denied a meeting.

• IHOPKC on Sunday Oct. 29 acknowledged the allegations during a morning service at the ministry’s Forerunner Church in Grandview, Mo. IHOPKC Executive Director Stuart Greaves also said the leadership team had asked Bickle not to preach at any of the ministry’s locations, attend the 24-hour prayer room, or use social media while the group assessed the situation.

• In November of 2023, IHOPKC hired a local lawyer to investigate the allegations after choosing not to work with the national law firm Stinson LLP. An initial report released later that month discounted some of the abuse allegations made against Bickle.

• In late November, IHOPKC said it was considering multiple third-party groups to conduct an independent investigation and the leadership team said it would take immediate action if presented with firsthand evidence of sexual abuse.

• On Dec. 12, 2023, Bickle released a statement admitting to engaging in inappropriate behavior more than two decades prior. He confessed to moral failures but said he was not admitting to the accusations of more serious sexual activities. In his statement Bickle said he would not engage in preaching ministry for an extended period of time.

• IHOPKC formally separated from Bickle 10 days later and member of the executive leadership team David Sliker resigned the following month. Sliker also stepped down as the president of IHOP University. The ministry in February 2024 said in a statement that its leadership believed Bickle had abused and manipulated two women and apologized for giving him a platform.

• In the following months, more women accused Bickle of abuse and eight Messianic Christian leaders released a statement, posted by The Roys Report, saying he was unfit and disqualified from public ministry.

• IHOPKC’s Forerunner Church last May held its final service after the ministry in April said it would reorganize its operations, according to The Christian Post. The ministry said it planned to continue operating its 24/7 prayer house.